Study confirms metal-on-metal hips are more likely to fail than other devices

Metal-on-metal hip implants are far more likely to fail within five years than other types, with women at greater risk than men, a study of data from the National Joint Registry of England and Wales has shown.

The authors of the study, published in the Lancet (13 March 2012, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60353-5), call for a ban on this type of implant. Ashley Blom, of the University of Bristol, a co-author of the study, said that most people given a metal-on-metal hip had not needed to have it replaced. But with other choices available, there was no reason to take the risk. “If I were a patient I would not …